1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to potato harvesting devices and more specifically it relates to a vine cutter for cutting entangled vines of potato plants in front of a potato harvester so that the vines do not become entangled and accumulated upon a front portion of the potato harvester.
A potato harvester typically harvests two rows of potatoes at a time. However, the vines from neighboring rows typically grow across the pair of rows being harvested causing them to become entangled about the side portions of the potato harvester. The entangled vines then uproot the attached tubers where after the tubers are damaged by sunlight. Further, the entangled vines accumulate on the side portions of the potato harvester requiring the operator to stop the potato harvester for cleaning the accumulated vines away. The sun damaged tubers have to be separated from the undamaged tubers and are unrecoverable into a viable product. It is therefore necessary that the vines surrounding the harvested pair of rows be cut from the vines of adjacent rows before the tubers can be properly dug by the potato harvester.
Conventional vine cutters comprise a single disc attached to the potato harvester which rotates with the movement of the potato harvester. The penetration of the disc in combination with the rotating cuts the vines. However, when the vines are wet or green, the vines are simply pressed deep into the ground and not cut. The vines then become entangled within the potato harvester. Also, the conventional vine cutters used today create a narrow channel in front of the potato harvester defining a side wall of dirt. When the digger portion of the potato harvester penetrates the ground to remove the potatoes, the side wall of dirt allows chunks of dirt to remain instead of being broken up. These chunks of dirt engage the tubers thereby causing damage to them. Also the chunks of dirt with the harvested tubers store moisture which causes rotting of the tubers during storage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous potato harvesting devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,033 to Landeis; U.S. Pat. No. 2,562,387 to Perry; U.S. Pat. No. 3,126,062 to Schmidt; U.S. Pat. No. 2,537,198 to Wetzel et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,092 to Wehde; U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,322 to Kopasz; U.S. Pat. No. 2,608,815 to Graaff; U.S. Pat. No. 1,321,782 to Barrett; U.S. Pat. No. 1,576,364 to Russell et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 1,848,265 to Moreau; U.S. Pat. No. 1,872,639 to Licht; U.S. Pat. No. 2,141,806 to Zielesch; U.S. Pat. No. 2,539,881 to Wilkins; U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,117 to Wadsworth; U.S. Pat. No. 3,194,317 to Vautinall are illustrative of such prior art.
Landeis (U.S Pat. No. 5,904,033) discloses a vine cutter system. Landeis particularly teaches a lower cutting disc in engagement with an upper cutting disc for severing vines of potato plants. The cutting discs counter-rotate with respect to one another with the lower cutting disc drawing the vines in between the cutting discs. A problem with this cutting system is that wet and green vines are susceptible to slipping between the upper cutting disc and the lower cutting disc.
Perry (U.S Pat. No. 2,562,387) discloses a power driven vine cutter having a pair of rotary vine cutters distally spaced so as to be positioned between the rows, a corresponding pair of rods to assure against entanglement of heavy vines in the rotary parts, and an engine 19.
Schmidt (U.S Pat. No. 3,126,062) discloses a foliage deflecting unit utilized in combination with a pair of coulters for severing the foliage which upstands between the paths of the coulters impairing the effectiveness of the harvesting mechanism.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for cutting entangled vines of potato plants in front of a potato harvester so that the vines do not become entangled and accumulated upon a front portion of the potato harvester. None of the prior art discloses an invention which adequately severs the entanglement of the vines of adjacent rows of a crop. The invention disclosed by Perry does not penetrate the ground to sever vines entangled within the ground. Further, the structure of Perry is prone to becoming entangled within the vines because of the nonmoving parts in the frontal portion. The present invention penetrates the ground to sever vines within the ground. Further, the present invention is not prone to clogging or entanglement with the vines because of its dual cutting discs.
In these respects, the vine cutter according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of cutting entangled vines of potato plants in front of a potato harvester so that the vines do not become entangled and accumulated upon a front portion of the potato harvester.